Part of what made the late David Bowie’s legacy so untouchable and indeed enviable for other artists was his unwavering tastefulness. Yes, there was ‘Dancing In The Street’ and his ill-advised industrial phase, but Bowie never put his name on something he didn’t believe in.
One of those things, apparently, was Coldplay. As Will Champion, drummer for the UK arena giants, recently revealed to NME, when the band approached the legendary artist with the offer of a collaboration, he knocked them back and not in a way that one might call tactful.
Coldplay had worked with frequent Bowie collaborator Brian Eno on Viva la Vida and Mylo Xyloto and thought Bowie would be perfect to sing backing vocals one of their tracks, even crafting a three-part harmony especially for him.
But when frontman Chris Martin sent the Thin White Duke a letter inviting him to join Coldplay in the studio, Bowie shut him down, replying, “It’s not a very good song, is it?” As Champion put it, “He was very discerning. He wouldn’t just put his name to anything. I’ll give him credit for that.”
